This blog is the place where I post reviews of the books I have read. I review audiobooks, regular books and eBooks for authors and publishers as well as any other book or audiobook that catches my eye.

This book is unlike anything I have ever read before. In fact, I don’t think anything like this has ever been published before.

Jacquie Purcell is a Deputy Coroner who invited 75,000 strangers, through the Internet, to ask her anything they wanted to know about death or about her job. The questions poured in and resulted in the creation of this book.

According to co-author, Korttany Finn, “Jacquie…encounters almost every aspect of death on a daily basis and has the gift for making it all sound so normal. And that, I realized, is why she is making a difference. This stuff NEEDS to be normalized. It is perfectly acceptable to discuss death in an open, informal setting and maybe even sprinkle a little humor on top.”

I’m not sure who originally quoted the saying, “There are two things in life everyone can count on … Death and taxes,” but the saying seems to still be true. Everyone will die eventually. Even though modern medicine is able to keep us alive longer than ever before in history, death is still inevitable. If someone ever finds the ‘Fountain of Youth’ this may change, but I doubt that will happen anytime soon.

With an aging baby-boomer population and more and more people taking care of elderly or infirm relatives in their own homes and the knowledge that death is inevitable, it is more important than ever that we educate ourselves on this topic.

When someone you love is diagnosed with a disease, it is normal to want to educate yourself about that specific disease. This knowledge enables you and your loved ones to talk openly and together, to make educated decisions.

Yet, when it comes to death, many individuals seem to bury their heads in the sand and avoid talking about death. It almost seems like they think that if they do not talk about it, that it will never happen to them. This is, of course, ridiculous.

By writing this book, authors Korttany Finn and Jacquie Purcell are removing some of the mystery surrounding the topic of death. Maybe it will help people to be better prepared when a death does occur.

This book not only tackles death of the elderly or or illness deaths such as cancer, it also talks about murder, suicide, SIDS, automobile accidents, accidental death, and much more.

Korttany Finn and Jacquie Purcell have taken a topic that is considered taboo to some people and presented it in such a way that it seems “normal.” This is a terrific accomplishment and, in my opinion, a very important step toward educating the general public.

It does not matter if you are 16, 36, 60 or even older, this book should be a MUST READ. Every one of us will experience death at some point in our lives, whether it is our own demise or that of a loved one. This book will help prepare you for dealing with it when it comes.

I believe strongly that knowledge is power. The death of a loved one is something that often makes those left behind feel overwhelmed and powerless. Reading this book won’t lessen your grief, but it could lessen your feelings of confusion and that is a very good thing.

This book is utterly fascinating and strangely compelling. I was never bored reading this book. In fact, I found myself so engrossed in it that I finished the entire book in a single day.

Before reading this book I believed myself to be fairly knowledgeable about death and dying, but I have to admit that I wasn’t as informed as I had previously thought. I learned a lot and can now say with confidence that I know the difference between rigor mortis, livor mortis and algor mortis. Do you?

Jacquie’s willingness to answer any question on the topic of death makes this book supremely interesting. For example, some of the questions answered in this book include:

* What do you think is the most painless way to die?
* What’s the strangest cause of death you’ve come across?
* When I die, am I allowed to be buried with my husband? Let’s say he dies first, 5 years before me; could they dig him up and throw me in with him?
* Can you explain the process of embalming?
* Do embalmed bodies smell similar to UN-embalmed bodies?

How can you not want to know the answers to the above questions? Plus, they are only a fraction of the questions and answers contained within this book’s pages.

I rate this book as 5 out of 5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I cannot emphasize enough how much I believe that every adult needs to read this book. After you finish the book you will know what things you should be discussing with those you love so that they will know what your wishes are after your death. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT and will help your loved ones and will ensure that your wishes for burial (or cremation, etc) are followed.

~ I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

JACQUIE PURCELL is a coroner and a married mother of four children. She has set up a website where you can go for more information. Visit http://www.askacoroner.com where you can submit any questions you have that were not covered in her book.